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> What was pro-China about the comment you responded to exactly? The subject article advances the view that China is attempting to influence the US election. T

> What was pro-China about the comment you responded to exactly? The subject article advances the view that China is attempting to influence the US election. The comment I responded to downplays and undermines this sentiment (i.e. "don't worry about China. Look at this other issue.") If I were a state actor, this would be a prime signal to amplify. It's a real opinion, it's not easy to refute, it could legitimately be seen as an up voted comment, and it conveniently serves the state's interests. Hacker News has no shortage of contrarian views, which I like. This particular type of contrarian hot take is just one that I've noticed to fit a pattern that I've seen in other threads with topics critical to China.

h2odragon 3y ago
"Everyone who disagrees with me is a Russian Bot" Freedom of Speech means foreign propaganda should be as welcome as domestic propaganda. Tolerated by government, and taken no more seriously by the public than any other advertising (Red bull will not give you wings, for example). I'm consistently contrarian and ornery about how much of the media is propaganda from whichever source. "They're bad because they're propaganda" from an outlet that assured us vaccines and lock-downs would work; Hunter's laptop was "Russian disinformation", That Snowden is a traitor and the Russians also stole an election from Hillary ... its the pot calling the kettle black.
- bitshiftfaced 3y ago
  I neither said I agreed or disagreed with your post, and I absolutely agree that you ought to be able to post it. Normally I wouldn't bother calling out how I think the signal's being exploited, but it's actually the exact on-topic conversation for this thread. Maybe you're fine with it, but even if you ignore the political incentives, it still degrades the quality of discussion for sites subject to it. I think many people put it into a similar class as spam. Very few defend its protection. Sites like FB, X, and HN have that reason alone to address it when they're being exploited this way.

h2odragon 3y ago

"Everyone who disagrees with me is a Russian Bot" Freedom of Speech means foreign propaganda should be as welcome as domestic propaganda. Tolerated by government, and taken no more seriously by the public than any other advertising (Red bull will not give you wings, for example). I'm consistently contrarian and ornery about how much of the media is propaganda from whichever source. "They're bad because they're propaganda" from an outlet that assured us vaccines and lock-downs would work; Hunter's laptop was "Russian disinformation", That Snowden is a traitor and the Russians also stole an election from Hillary ... its the pot calling the kettle black.

bitshiftfaced 3y ago
I neither said I agreed or disagreed with your post, and I absolutely agree that you ought to be able to post it. Normally I wouldn't bother calling out how I think the signal's being exploited, but it's actually the exact on-topic conversation for this thread. Maybe you're fine with it, but even if you ignore the political incentives, it still degrades the quality of discussion for sites subject to it. I think many people put it into a similar class as spam. Very few defend its protection. Sites like FB, X, and HN have that reason alone to address it when they're being exploited this way.